My natural speaking voice is in the middle range for a woman which makes sense as I am a woman. However, anytime that I talk to a stranger or I feel anxious talking to someone, my voice goes up a full octave.

The first time I noticed this was when I was trick or treating with my friends in grade six. Anytime we went up to a house, I would always say “trick or treat” in a squeaky voice. I would also say “thank you” in an even higher voice somehow. My friends noticed right away and questioned me as to why I turned into a mouse when I talked to strangers. I did not know how to answer then and I still don’t know how to answer.

I have tried to be more aware of the pitch of my voice when talking to strangers but most times, I don’t even realize that my voice went high until after the fact when I start talking normally again.